TANN Corporation took on the project of building a regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) for odor control on an animal rendering plant in Minnesota. In a thermal oxidizer, odor causing compounds are destroyed the same way as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs): they break down between 1200°F and 1500°F before being emitted to atmosphere. The RTO was chosen because the high thermal efficiency minimizes the natural gas usage and exhaust temperature while the high destruction efficiency eliminates odors.
Design Considerations
Because of the high moisture content and corrosive compounds, certain precautions had to be taken into consideration when designing this oxidizer. The main fan was installed on the outlet to create an induced draft regenerative thermal oxidizer. This design choice protects the fan from particulate buildup and ensures a longer operating life for the equipment. To combat corrosion issues, the entire RTO was built from high grade stainless steel that was selected specifically for this application. The ceramic media design was optimized to handle the particulate without sacrificing thermal efficiency. The thermal oxidizer goes through regular “bakeout” cycles to remove any particulate that gets trapped in the media. TANN engineers performed a series of tests on a sample of the particulate buildup and then customized the bakeout mode on this RTO, so it could be performed safely.
50,000 SCFM Stainless Steel Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer
Have a question?